The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray *****

The First Ladies is a novel about the interracial friendship between Eleanor Delano Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune during the years of FDR’s presidency and Jim Crow. Together, they fought for civil rights. Some fights were successful (the Tuskegee Airmen), and others not (any anti-lynching bill). This book is not all politics. Their relationship and mutual support are also explored.

Much is said about how people are addressed. White people addressed negroes by their first name regardless of their relationship. This was offensive, and Mrs. Bethune spoke up about this, often supported by Mrs. Roosevelt.

Eleanor Roosevelt might not need an introduction, but Mrs. Bethune does. “She was also a prolific writer who submitted articles and pieces to many newspapers and periodicals, and had regular columns. … The National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs and the National Council of Negro Women benefited from Mary’s leadership ... The list of businesses that Mary originated and ran was numerous—McLeod Hospital, an insurance company, Bethune Beach, a funeral home … During World War II, Mary was also a consultant to the U.S. Secretary of War, helping to identify and select Negro female candidates to become officers.” In addition, she held several leadership positions within FDR’s administration. Bethune-Cookman University is still in Daytona Beach, Florida.

With its emphasis on these women’s personal lives, the book deals with FDR’s affair with Lucy Mercer and Eleanor Roosevelt’s affair with Lorena Hickok. It also deals with Mrs. Bethune’s experiences with Jim Crow laws. My favorite parts of the book were when Eleanor used her power as First Lady to combat Jim Crow laws.

J Edgar Hoover, Bull Connor, and Lyndon Baines Johnson, among others, had cameo roles.

Footnote: The two authors are an interracial pair and consider many of the discussions of racism between Eleanor and Mary to be autobiographical.

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James by Percival Everett *****

Percival Everett’s James started with Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. He made runaway slave Jim the main character. Like all slaves, James is bilingual. He can speak the dialect (“slave talk”) Twain wrote for Jim (“a language no white person could master”), and the language of the whites. Black people use “slave talk” whenever there are white folk present. Jim is the smartest person in the book, but that doesn’t shield him from the brutality of slavery. James exposes how slavery fostered violence and ignorance.

Here is a language lesson…

You’re walking down the street and you see that Mrs. Holiday’s kitchen is on fire. She’s standing in her yard, her back to her house, unaware. How do you tell her?” “Fire, fire,” January said. “Direct. And that’s almost correct,” I said. The youngest of them, lean and tall five-year-old Rachel, said, “Lawdy, missum! Looky dere.” “Perfect,” I said. “Why is that correct?” Lizzie raised her hand. “Because we must let the whites be the ones who name the trouble.” “And why is that?” I asked. February said, “Because they need to know everything before us. Because they need to name everything.” “Good, good. You all are really sharp today.”

James was self-educated. He read Voltaire, Rousseau, and Locke.

The power of reading…

At that moment the power of reading made itself clear and real to me. If I could see the words, then no one could control them or what I got from them. They couldn’t even know if I was merely seeing them or reading them, sounding them out or comprehending them. It was a completely private affair and completely free and, therefore, completely subversive.

Quotes…

“Folks be funny lak dat. Dey takes the lies dey want and throws away the truths dat scares ’em.”

“A distance you know is shorter den one you don’t.”

“If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not learning.”

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A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher ****

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher. Cordelia tells her story of breaking away from her evil sorceress mother Evangeline. The unhappy family lives in Little Haws. Cordelia’s only friends are their horse, Falada, and a neighbor girl, Ellen. Evangeline’s hope for Cordelia is for Cordelia to marry a rich man, but first, she needs money to fund Cordelia’s coming out and her season in London. As Evangeline points out, “The problem with being rich is that you simply have no idea how expensive it is to be poor.” To that end, they leave Little Haws so Evangeline can enchant and marry Squire Samuel. His sister, Hester, foresees problems and refers to Evangeline as Doom.

Cordelia does her best not to upset her mother because when she does, Evangeline makes her obedient. When Cordelia is obedient her mother controls her (body, voice, etc.) except for her eyes. After arriving at the Squire’s manor, Cordelia learns that Ellen’s father, Edward Parker, is in jail for murdering his family with an axe and that Falada is not her friend but is her mother’s familiar.

“A rich man, she’d always said. Not a young man.”

“Madam.” He frowned at her. “I am a butler. Do you truly believe that I do not know how to dispatch a houseguest if required?”

In the end, Cordelia et al defeat her mother and all live happily ever after. No surprise twists here.

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Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty *****

 Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty is the story of three dysfunctional kindergarten families, single mother Jane whose son Ziggy has been accused of being a bully, rich and beautiful Celeste, mother of the twins Josh and Max, who lives with domestic violence, and Madeline and Ed who have a daughter, Chloe. Madeline’s ex-husband Nathan has a kindergarten daughter, Skye, with his second wife Bonnie. Between bullying, domestic violence, and divorced parents, the kindergarten class at Pirriwee Public School has more than its share of problems. This book is a masterpiece around the themes of bullying and domestic violence. Moriarty combines the many plot threads with the skill of a master weaver. The result is easy to follow and comes together beautifully in the end.

Jane has moved to Pirriwee Beach with her son Ziggy. On Kindergarten orientation day, Ziggy is accused of being a bully. He denies it, but Jane is worried that he might have inherited sadistic tendencies from his father, an uncomfortable one-night stand with an abusive guy when Jane was nineteen.

Celeste is rich and beautiful. We rarely see her husband who travels extensively. The smallest thing can set him off, but he is careful never to leave marks that may be seen in public. After each attack, he is most attentive and affectionate. She believes that his attacks are her fault. 

Madeline and her ex-husband Nathan compete over their fourteen-year-old daughter Abigail. Abigail chooses to move in with Nathan and Bonnie. Abi takes Boonie’s sensibilities (vegan, yoga, Amnesty International) and goes further. Her website is: www.buymyvirginitytostopchildmarriageandsexslavery.com.

The author supports the idea that adult abusers/bullies are irredeemable, but cheaters are not. The book toys with nature/nurture causes for abusers/bullies without declaring a side.

Other families:

Harper and Graeme have a daughter, Emily.

Renata’s daughter is Amabella, “not Annabella. It’s French. We didn’t make it up.” She has a French nanny, Juliette. Amabella was bullied on orientation day and blamed Ziggy. Renata started a petition to have Ziggy suspended. Husband Geoff.

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Outlander by Diana Gabaldon ****

 Outlander by Diana Gabaldon begins in 1945 in Scotland when Claire touches two standing stones and is transported to 1743. The good news is that she meets her love, Jamie, and they have fantastic adventures. The bad news is that 1743 is a time of violence and sadomasochism. The book alternates between romance and torture. Even skimming through the most horrific scenes, I found the book hard to finish and I do not intend to read the next eight books in the series.

Claire is the Outlander. She finds herself among the Scottish Highland clans and passes herself off as English. Jamie calls her Sassenach which is a derogatory word for English, but which becomes a term of affection.

Claire is a strong main character who stands up for herself fighting all manner of men and beasts. Unfortunately, she is unable to prevent the over-the-top brutality that makes the book an uncomfortable and difficult read.Claire was a WWII combat nurse. She put her medical knowledge to work in 1743 by identifying beneficial plants and shunning the use of leeches. In addition to medicine, the book is packed with historical details.

550 pages. The next book is over 950!

The book includes a token discussion of the risks of time travel and changing the future. Nothing new or interesting.

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The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros *****

Are you discouraged? Read The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros! Follow the love stories of Scarlett & Jameson in WWII England plus Georgia & Noah in contemporary Colorado. Beyond these two romances, there is love for granddaughters, sisters, and so much more. The book is like a warm shower, fuzzy blanket, and hot cocoa of love. (Don’t you love mixed metaphors?) I guarantee this book will chase away your blues, if only for a while.

This book is written in three parts. There are chapters set in WWII England, contemporary Colorado, and letters exchanged by Scarlett and Jameson during WWII. The chapters are interspersed, and the letters appear at the beginning of most chapters. That might seem confusing, but it isn’t. Sometimes the letters or the Colorado chapters are spoilers for the WWII timeline, but the book isn’t a mystery, it is a story of love.

Did I say, the book isn’t a mystery? The ending is a big surprise. Just when you think the author couldn’t have packed more love into 400-plus pages, the ending reveals even more.

While most of the people in this book are lovely, there are a few baddies. (1) Georgia’s mother, Eva, can’t resist abusive husbands. She abandons Georgia to be raised by her great-grandmother, Gran Scarlett. After WWII Scarlett became a famous romance author. (2) Georgia fears she is following in her mother’s footsteps when she marries and divorces Damien, definitely a baddie. Then, (3) there are Scarlett’s parents who want to marry her off to the abusive Henry Wadsworth to cash in on their titles.

The central conflict is about Scarlett’s first book which was left unfinished when she died. Eva wants the money from this book and offers it to a publisher and a movie producer. The publisher assigns the writing to Noah Harrison (a writer both Georgia and her Gran despise). The movie producer is Georgias’s ex-husband. Fortunately, Gran left the control to Georgia. It is more complicated than this, but you get the point. Read it. You’ll be glad you did.

Scarlett and her sister Constance are WAAF officers who work in the top-secret Filter Rooms. As the BBC explains: “The Filter Room was the nerve center of the Radar system. It received information from the many Radar stations... This information, needed to be instantly corrected, coordinated, and displayed on a huge map table…, in a form suitable to be passed on to the Operations Rooms. Without this essential link, the Radar information at that time could not have been used.” Once again, the world depended on women to perform calculations in the absence of computers. Whoever thought women weren’t naturals for STEM occupations! The women often had higher ranks and security clearances than the pilots. For more fascinating information: https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/53/a2093753.shtml

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A Shimmer of Red (Odessa Jones #3) by Valerie Wilson Wesley ****

In A Shimmer of Red by Valerie Wilson Wesley, Odessa Jones works for Risko Realty and owns D&D Delights, a catering company she started with her deceased husband, Darryl. Risko Realty’s competition is the wealthy Delbarton Realty owned by Emily (Dickenson) Delbarton and he crazy brother Edgar (Allan Poe) Delbarton. In a coup, Risko recruits salespeople Anna Lee and Bella Mondavi from Delbarton. Shortly after the transfer Anna is killed in a hit-and-run while jogging. Odessa's psychic gift tells her this was murder. “With great power comes great responsibility—Uncle Ben to Peter Parker.” Now she must track down the culprit.

Anna worked at BUNS, a gentlemen’s club, where Edgar became infatuated with her because she was Annabel Lee and he was named after Edgar Allan Poe. He recruited her to Delbarton Realty against the wishes of his sister Emily who owned Delbarton Realty, BUNS, and much more. After her death, he sent so many flowers to Risko Realty. Was this grief or guilt?

Odessa’s boyfriend Terrence, who left her at the alter when she was twenty, more than twenty years ago, returned. He was near death and explained that he could marry Odessa when he learned he had a daughter Rosalie. Rosalie and Terrence are both successful. Odesa is torn between resentment for his betrayal and empathy for his eminent death.

Odessa spends more time on family conflicts than solving the murder, but she does solve the murder in the end.

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Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez *****

TAKE THE INVISIBLE WOMEN CHALLENGE. Men need to read this book by Caroline Criado Perez. It will change your worldview. Women can skip it because they live it every day. With the subtitle, Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, the author shows (with 70 pages of references) the subtle and egregious ways bias against women plays out in daily life, work, product design, medicine, and politics. While you might imagine a familiarity with these topics, the author presents them with details and evidence that will surprise every reader. This book should be required for everyone. Three hundred pages to a new you.

The book introduces a few important concepts…

Default Male: This concept is seen throughout society. Drugs are tested, diseases are studied, cars are designed, laws are made, economies are measured… all with the default male in mind. Thus, women die and are disadvantaged. Examples? Crash dummies are male. GDP doesn’t include women’s caring and homemaking work. Doctors don’t recognize women’s symptoms. Houses built after disasters lack kitchens.

Data Disaggregation: Most research aggregates data for men and women (usually a minority or not included). In this way, sex differences are lost.

Quotas: From the workplace to medical research to product design to politics, requirements to consider/include women always result in more qualified people and better products. Said another way: Quotas do not make spaces for less qualified women. They bring in more qualified women and drive out less qualified men!

Chapter 1: Can Snow-Clearing be Sexist? The city of Karlskoga, Sweden, first cleared the snow from the streets and then from the sidewalks. When they reversed this, hospital admissions decreased – predominantly pedestrians, and predominantly women. “The original snow-clearing schedule in Karlskoga hadn’t been deliberately designed to benefit men at the expense of women. Like many of the examples in this book, it resulted from a gender data gap – in this instance, a gap in perspective. The men (and it would have been men) who originally devised the schedule knew how they traveled, and they designed it around their needs. They didn’t deliberately set out to exclude women. They just didn’t think about them.”

TAKE THE CHALLENGE!

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The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst *****

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst. Keila is a librarian. “It wasn’t that she didn’t like people. It was only that she liked books more.” “If there was anything in the world, she was good at, it was research.” “Are you ever lonely? How can I be? I have books.” Her companion is Caz, a sentient spider plant. “When the revolutionaries took the palace and defenestrated the emperor,” she escaped the capital with five crates of books. How will she survive with a “growing list of useful skills she didn’t possess?” The author says, “I want to write a book that reads like drinking hot chocolate.” She succeeded.

Keila has sequestered herself in the Great Library of Alyssium. Power and prosperity in the Crescent Islands Empire have been concentrated among the elite…until the revolutionaries depose the emperor and burn down the library, she escapes with five crates of books to Caltrey, an outer island where she was born. Once there, she makes friends.

This book includes magic spells, mermaids, merhorses, unicorns, and cloud bears. Keila’s first friend is a sentient spider plant named Caz. She plans to support herself with “Keila and Caz’s Jam Shop” selling jam and magical spells on the side. This doesn’t go as smoothly as she hoped.

SARAH BETH DURST is the author of more than twenty-five fantasy books for adults, teens, and kids.

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The Women by Kristin Hannah *****

The Women by Kristin Hannah might be titled The Women Who Served in Vietnam. If you recall, the Vietnam War was a difficult time for the United States, especially for the returning veterans. This book mixes Vietnam-era music, clothes, and protests in the United States with the military life in Vietnam. April 30, 2025, is the golden anniversary of the end of that war and now is a good time to revisit that period. I was not in the military, but I vividly recall the time. I highly recommend this review of the war.

The book follows Frankie McGrath, a 20-year-old woman from a well-to-do, conservative family on Coronado Island in San Diego, as she enlists as an Army nurse and ships out to Vietnam (1966). The book's first half is about her two tours in-country (The 36^th Evacuation Hospital on the coast outside of Saigon and the 71^st Mobile Army Surgical Hospital [MASH] in the jungle near the Cambodian border). The second half follows Frankie’s difficulties returning with PTSD and a common misconception that there “were no women in Vietnam.”

The author presents a balanced view of the period.

The book includes “sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll,” along for war injuries, deaths, suicide, and PSTD. Don’t expect a happy ending or easy answers.

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